TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Sequoyah High School senior and football quarterback Brayden Scott has been nominated for the national Mr. Football competition presented by VYPE magazine and State Farm.

Scott has attended Sequoyah Schools since the eighth grade and is expected to sign an official letter of intent in February to play football at the University of Memphis.

While at Sequoyah, Scott was the starting quarterback on Team USA, and he holds Sequoyah Schools’ records for the most passing yards, 6,497, and 99 total touchdowns. As of press time, he had four games left in the regular season.

One hundred players have been nominated for this honor. In October, that list was expected to be narrowed to 50 players with the top 20 getting an automatic advance to the semi-finals. Finalists will be selected in November.

Anyone can go online to vote for a player. The number of votes that each player receives determines the winner. Each person can vote once daily until the contest ends. The winner will be announced in January.

Delle Donne scored 34 points, but Angel Goodrich answered with 27 of her own for the 11th-seeded Jayhawks, who rallied in the second half for a 70-64 win over the Blue Hens on Tuesday night.

Delaware's (31-2) only other loss this season was to No. 5 Maryland on Dec. 29. The school entered the tournament having never won an NCAA game before its opening-round win over Arkansas-Little Rock, in which Delle Donne scored 39 points in 30 minutes of action.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Nebraska's return to the NCAA tournament was a short one.

The sixth-seeded Huskers suffered through a dismal shooting performance and fell 57-49 to former Big 12 rival and 11th-seeded Kansas in the first round of the Des Moines Regional on Sunday.

Nebraska (24-9), which left the Big 12 for the Big Ten after last season, was making its return to the tournament after a one-year absence. The school had performed well in reaching the Big Ten Tournament championship game against Purdue, but it hadn't played since that double-overtime loss to the Boilermakers on March 4.

OKLAHOMA CITY – From childhood aspirations of becoming a professional wrestler to years of competing in local Toughman Contests, one Cherokee Nation citizen has reached her goal of becoming a professional heavyweight boxer.

Paula Soap, 43, said she always wanted to fight professionally, so she began entering area Toughman Contests.

“I started in Toughman in 2001,” she said. “I continued on there, and they told me I couldn’t fight anymore because I won too many in Muskogee. That was my limit from what they said.”

With area contests closed to her, she competed in the Toughman World Championships, where she finished eighth out of 32 competitors.

Despite her success with a record of 5-1 and world championship appearance, Soap never formally trained in the sweet science of boxing. Melissa Drywater, trainer and owner of Dawg Pound Fight Academy in Tahlequah, said Soap’s success at the Toughman Contests is unheard of with no formal training.

CLAREMORE, Okla. – Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs will open its horse racing season on March 5 and run it through May 19.

Coming off its most successful year in five years of operation, WRD officials said they believe they have a new equation to make 2012 even better.

The thoroughbred spring meet will run at 12:30 p.m. every Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. Each race day features 10 races.

In addition to a stakes schedule that features two new races bringing the total to eight, racing officials moved four of the stakes to Mondays and Tuesdays to benefit from a bigger worldwide simulcast audience.

“Our simulcast signal goes through the roof on weekdays,” Kelly Cathey, Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs racing secretary, said. “We are up to nearly 700 locations showing our races, including tracks in Europe, Mexico and Canada. The more tracks that show our races, the bigger the handle, which means more money for the horsemen and more money for us to reinvest into our track.”

Horses break from the gate during a race at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla. The track’s spring meet is scheduled to begin March 5. COURTESY PHOTO

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – On Feb. 1 Nike launched the 2012 Air Native Temp+ N7 shoe, the second generation of Air Native footwear designed specifically for Native American and Aboriginal consumers.

The Nike Air Native N7 is the result of years of collaborative research development and fit testing in partnership with the American Indian community, which determined that Native people on average have a wider and taller foot than most non-Natives.

Since its initial launch in 2007, the Nike Air Native N7 has been updated annually with new and improved features ultimately comprising today’s latest incarnation, the Tempo+ N7.

Nike Air Native Tempo+ N7 features include, outsole trail specific traction elements for enhanced traction, grip and performance over a variety of surfaces and conditions, design details and graphics such as a whip stitch around the Nike swoosh and embroidered eyelets for a hand crafted look and feel, a mid-foot lockdown system with interwoven overlays for custom fit and feel, laces made with 100 percent recycled material and colored aglets, pull tabs on the back of the shoe for ease of entry and reflective pill for visibility in the dark and the original Nike Air Native N7 shoe width.

The Nike Air Native Tempo+ N7 is only available through tribal wellness programs that are more specifically identified as health disease prevention programs, urban Indian health center and in Canada First Nation health centers, urban Aboriginal health centers and Aboriginal community wellness programs.

The Nike Air Native N7 is the result of years of collaborative research development and fit testing in partnership with the American Indian community, which determined that Native people on average have a wider and taller foot than most non-Natives. COURTESY PHOTO

FARGO N.D. – Kevi Luper, a Cherokee Nation citizen and Oral Roberts University junior guard, scored 41 points in ORU’s 84-75 win over North Dakota State University on Feb. 4 at the Bison Sports Arena.

The 41-point effort allowed the Adair, Okla., native to finish the game with 2,120 career points, surpassing the Summit League record of 2,105 points, which was held by former ORU Golden Eagle Krista Regan.

Luper’s game-high point total also set the single-game scoring record for the arena, which had been intact for 27 years.

According to ORU’s website, Luper is just 72 points shy of former Golden Eagle Vivian Herron’s all-time ORU career scoring record of 2,192 points.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Sequoyah Schools senior Eric Kirkpatrick has signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Connors State College in Warner.

Kirkpatrick, who has played catcher since age 4, said playing at the college level is the next practical step in his baseball career.

“I’ve played in other positions but always came back to catcher,” the Cherokee Nation citizen said.
Connors baseball coach Keith Perry said he expects Kirkpatrick to fill an immediate need.

“He will be able to play for us and help us out as soon as he gets there,” Perry said. “I am looking forward to having him on the team.”

Sequoyah Schools senior Eric Kirkpatrick throws a pitch for the Indians baseball team. Kirkpatrick, who plays many different positions on the baseball field, signed with Connors State College as a catcher. COURTESY PHOTO

MOORE – Cerissa Key, a Cherokee Nation citizen and osteopathic medicine doctor, learned at an early age how much of a difference doctors can make in a child’s life. Now Key is making a difference in children’s lives as a pediatrician.

As a child, Key underwent eye surgeries, which sparked her interest in medicine.

“I really loved math and science, and I really loved kids, so at first I thought I wanted to be a teacher. Then in high school I joined the pre-med society, and I thought ‘this is what I am going to do,’” Key said.

She graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Northeastern State University. In 2009, she graduated from Oklahoma State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Key then began a three-year residency at Oklahoma State University Medical Center and St. Francis Children’s Hospital in Tulsa in which she spent “many long hours” learning pediatrics.

“I rotated through many pediatric specialties like cardiology, pulmonology, surgery and ER, just learning everything there is to know about pediatrics,” Key said.

As part of her Indian Health Services scholarship obligation, Key worked in pediatrics for the Absentee Shawnee Health Center in Norman for four years. After that, she worked for Kids First Urgent Care in Oklahoma City. She said working for Kids First allowed her to spend more time with her family.

Key and her husband, Stephen, have three children. She said having a family and a career as a physician is challenging, but it’s all about “balance.”

“It’s hard. I am not going to lie. But it’s about balance being a full-time working mom and being able to separate that and know that I am doing my best on both ends and not feeling guilty or selfish if I need that time with my family, or guilty or selfish if I need that time to finish my charts and be the best doctor,” she said. “I just think it is important to be able to compartmentalize work and home. So when I am home I am mom, and when I am at work I am doctor.”

Although being a physician comes with challenges and sacrifices, she said helping children reminds her why she chose her career.

“While I was working at the urgent care I actually saw a kiddo and she looked really good. But something about her was off to me. So I got a chest X-ray on her and she ended up having a huge heart issue, and had I not gotten that chest X-ray taken care of she would of likely died. But now she is alive because I caught that, and that really is a proud moment,” Key said.

Key now works in pediatrics at Mercy Clinic Primary Care in Moore.

“I am in a great group of physicians. We get along really well, and everyone is nice here. They’re also Catholic, and I am Christian, so it’s nice here at my front work place because they pray before we eat and they’ll pray before a meeting,” she said. “So its nice that here I am allowed to share my faith with my patients and not fear getting in trouble over it.”

She also said her Cherokee heritage is important, and working for Mercy she is able to express that and connect with her patients.

“I love being Native, and my heritage is very important to me. Even my stethoscope is beaded, which I love, and everyone asks me about it, so I get to tell them that I am Cherokee,” she said. “And I think that kids are really interested in that and there are a lot of Natives in this area, too. Even though I am working for Mercy I think they are able to relate to that, and it’s a proud thing to see a doctor that is also Native.”

TAHLEQUAH – During its Feb. 12 meeting, the Tribal Council unanimously authorized a lease with Oklahoma State University’s Center for Health Sciences to put a medical school in the current W.W. Hastings Hospital after the new Outpatient Health Center opens.

“Cherokee Nation is joining with Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, an entity within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, to bring health care education to W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah,” the resolution states.

The lease will encompass part of Hastings’ floor space and parking space.

Earlier in the day during the Resources Committee meeting, Dr. Charles Grim, Health Services interim executive director, said the leased portion would be located where the current physical therapy, diabetes, orthopedics and optometry locations are. Those departments will move to the new primary health care facility, which is expected to be finished in 2019.

Grim said because OSU is a state university the medical school would not have a Native American preference. However, he said the architecture within the remodeled facility for the school would highlight Cherokee culture. He also said officials would ask Indian Health Service to set aside scholarships and/or loan repayment for Native students wishing to attend the school.

“Its not really an Indian medical school per se, but it will be the first college of medicine campus on Indian land in the country,” Grim said.

Grim said the lease would be for seven years with the option to renew.

In other business, Cherokee Nation Businesses CEO Shawn Slaton told Tribal Councilors that CNB is preparing to break ground on April 1 on additional “projects” in the Cherokee Springs Plaza in Tahlequah.

In 2014, CN and CNB officials announced plans to build the plaza with venues for dining, shopping and gaming. In a previous Cherokee Phoenix article, officials said the plaza is anticipated to be 1.3 million square feet of mixed-use space, developed at an estimated cost of $170 million. Officials also said it was to be completed in three phases.

The tribe completed Phase 1 of the project in 2016,which included road construction and pad sites where businesses would be developed. Since then Taco Bueno, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic and Stuteville Ford have opened businesses at the site.

The next phase is the construction and relocation of Cherokee Casino Tahlequah, officials said. The new casino is expected to feature a resort hotel, convention center and golf clubhouse. The final phase includes the creation of a retail strip.

TAHLEQUAH – Making meal alterations such as using less salt or taking it out completely can lead to a healthier life for most people. Even making simple changes to old favorites such as mashed potatoes can lead people down a healthier path.

Mark Keeley, a clinical dietitian and 34-year Cherokee Nation employee, said while working with Native Americans he’s stressed that salt doesn’t need to be added to food and could adversely affect a person’s health.

“Salt will retain fluid on your body…that fluid is going to take up lung space. So now you’re trying to breathe around lungs that are trying to fill up,” he said. “If your heart’s not able to pump as well as it used to then the slower your blood stream moves the more some of that salty water will leak off into your ankles and legs, and so now you’re carrying weight around and it kind of waterlogs your system.”

Keeley said he’s had people tell him that they salt their food even before tasting it.

“People have told me, ‘Here’s what I used to do. I use to salt food before I even tasted it and salt it heavy and then taste it.’ Then they say, ‘I don’t do salt anymore.’ I come across a lot more people that tell me that. Those folks are becoming more common, but there’s room for work,” he said.

For people who monitor their blood sugar levels, Keeley said he recommends mashed cauliflower potatoes.

“As a dietitian that’s been working around diabetes for a long time, people want food to taste good, but they don’t want it to blow their blood sugar out of the water, so the cauliflower is basically a…non-starchy, low-carbohydrate vegetable,” he said.

By combining the cauliflower and potatoes, Keeley said a healthier version of mashed potatoes is created. “It actually has…a slightly different flavor. So cooking them up together and mashing them together, a little butter in there for seasoning and…it’s still satisfying, still has potatoes in it, but it doesn’t have the effect after the meal that you don’t like seeing.”

Keeley said the dish typically takes 30 minutes to make, which includes preparation and cook time, and consists of a head of cauliflower, two potatoes and a small portion of salted butter. The butter acts as the dish’s only form of salt.

“It’s not a high time investment meal,” he said. “You do need enough water to pretty near cover the vegetables. It’ll get them soft quicker, ready for the mashing. You could drain it completely or just leave a small amount of water in the bottom. The butter was salted butter. It was the salt (for the recipe) in this case. There was no other salt in it.”

When changing a recipe such as adding cauliflower and removing a bulk of the potatoes, Keeley said the first step is to “decide” if this is something that people want to pursue for a healthier lifestyle.

“The tricks of the trade is one thing, but the first step is to decide. To make the decision, ‘I’m going to do what it takes to get better and stay better,’” he said. “Once people are determined they’ll figure it out. They’ll come up with their own ways to do it.”

Keeley suggests another way to get on a healthier eating track is portion control. “One thing we can always do is we can down portion anything. So if something is pretty stout, pretty sweet, pretty salty, you can eat less of it.”

Preserving the Cherokee language is preserving Cherokee identity, as the heritage and traditions of the tribe are rooted in our language. Our language allows us to pass along traditional Cherokee knowledge and values to our children and grandchildren. That is why I am so proud that Cherokee Nation Businesses has pledged unprecedented financial support to the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program.

Through a signed memorandum of understanding, CNB is providing $180,000 to cover the costs of a language program called the 14th Generation Master Apprentice Program, a pilot program designed for students who originally learned to speak Cherokee at the tribe’s Cherokee Immersion Charter School. We hope it encourages language usage as they progress through junior high and high school. CNB’s monetary commitment will further advance the preservation and usage of the Cherokee language, as graduates of the adult master apprentice program are placed in supervised teaching and mentoring roles.

The new endeavor can be a bridge that unites the mission of our Cherokee Immersion Charter School and the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program, which has graduated six students since it began three years ago and is expected to graduate six more students in 2018 and another eight students in 2019. Both programs have proven successful in their respective area, and now we can connect their goals and participants.

This multigenerational effort will help preserve and promote the use of the Cherokee language for generations to come and fill the gap between the immersion school and high school. Our youth, who have been educated in the immersion school, are among the most valuable Cherokee language assets going forward. We have made significant investments in these children, and we must keep exposing them to language-learning opportunities after completing the sixth grade. Now that we have graduates of the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program, we have developed an expert pipeline and grown the personnel to keep our youth engaged after immersion school graduation. That means language lessons can be utilized at Sequoyah High School as well as within community settings. Creating new Cherokee speakers, and in turn letting them pass along what they have learned, will keep our language flourishing for generations to come.

Supporting cultural education and growing the language curriculum will help Cherokee children succeed on their lifelong journey and allow them to reach their God-given potential in school, in life and as Cherokee speakers. The 14th Generation Master Apprentice Program already has about a dozen Sequoyah High School students gathering for lessons after school. Plans are in place for a summer program with participants gathering from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for 10 weeks. Those students, if they participate over multiple summers, could potentially get about 2,000 hours of language education just through summer participation. CNB continues to support the tribe in its pursuit of preserving Cherokee culture and heritage. Without the aggressive commitment from our tribal government and our business endeavors, the future of the Cherokee language would be in jeopardy.

WEST SILOAM – Tulsa resident Elizabeth “Beth” West manages an hour and a half commute to Cherokee Casino West Siloam Springs each workday but still makes time to give back to her community. The YMCA of Greater Tulsa recently awarded West with an award for her dedication to the organization.

“I started off as a contributor but quickly realized that I wanted to do more to help children and families in my community,” West, a food and beverage manager at Cherokee Casino & Hotel West Siloam Springs and Cherokee Nation citizen, said. “The Y helps people in the community in so many different aspects, from early education and after school programs to families affected by cancer.”

West is originally from Colcord, where she graduated high school. She received a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University in 2008. She then started her career at Cherokee Casino & Hotel West Siloam Springs, accepting positions at various Cherokee Casinos through the years, including Cherokee Casino Ramona, Cherokee Casino South Coffeyville and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa.

“Beth has been an asset to our department since returning to the property in 2015,” Don McClellan, property director of food and beverage at Cherokee Casino & Hotel West Siloam Springs, said. “She explains to newly hired employees that she started here in 2008, and that if they want additional responsibilities and to be able to be promoted, the opportunities are available. It has been a pleasure working with Beth and watching her navigate her career path. We are very proud of her dedicated work in the community.”

West began supporting the YMCA of Greater Tulsa as a donor but quickly grew into the role of campaigner by helping to raise awareness of the organization’s cause and by finding those willing to help support. West was honored as the 2017 Goal Buster Campaigner of the Year for the YMCA Community Services Campaign.

The annual campaign unites volunteers, donors and participants to build upon the strengths of each individual in our community. Financial assistance is made available from the annual support campaign to any individual or family who wants to participate in YMCA programs or activities but may not be able to afford the fee.

“As we move into our 2018 campaign season, we are thankful to have Beth’s big heart and passion for change. Our community services goal this year is $15,000, and we are confident the funds will be raised to ensure programs continue to be available to those who need them most,” Emma Sikich, senior director for community initiatives at YMCA of Greater Tulsa, said.

“Beth is a great example of someone who works hard, plays hard, but gives more. She is a key player in ensuring the YMCA’s Community Services campaign is a success,” Sikich said.

The staff at YMCA of Greater Tulsa is passionate about making a difference in their communities and bettering the lives of the people around them, and that has inspired West and the other 16 campaigners to do more.

“I feel it’s my responsibility to ensure that others are afforded chances and opportunities to do more, to grow and learn, to be everything they hope,” West said. “Strength of character comes from helping people succeed, not in holding anyone down.”